Baseball and Business Skills

Watching the World Series has me thinking about the importance of excellence in every skill a player needs. These include pitching, batting, catching, throwing, hitting the cutoff man, running, sliding, stealing a base, bunting, practicing, working out, training, loosening up, following signals, getting coached, making sure equipment is maintained, studying opposing players, planning for the game and teamwork. Also, there is a human element that affects how the players might perform at any given moment.

No matter how well a team performs, if a single player falls short on any one of these skills, the team could lose. We certainly have seen some of this in the playoffs and the first two World Series games.

In business, there are also many skills. While some have a much greater importance than others, just one team member falling down on one of their myriad skills could cause a deal to collapse, a company to go out of business, destruction to the environment or some leaders could even end up in prison. Perhaps these consequences are more serious than the results of a baseball game, but to each person involved, every action and outcome is considered a critical event.

Business is not easy. Outsiders might see it as an exciting undertaking, but many of those working in business see it as an all-consuming, full attention, focus and concentration endeavor. The results can be exciting, as can certain interactions, but overall it is work and must be done with the highest intensity and integrity.

In baseball and business, there are plenty of benefits, internal satisfaction and ego-feeding, but both require the highest use of every skill needed at every moment of every activity.

I wish both teams good luck tonight and in the following games. I am looking forward to watching great baseball and just hope the series isn’t decided by a mistake.

As to businesspeople, I wish them success with all their skills in all of their activities, as long as they do not do anything detrimental to anyone or anything else. I know mistakes will occur, but let’s hope they aren’t decisive ones. I also wish for business leaders to make decisions while considering their effects on their many stakeholders and the proud legacy they would want to be responsible for.